Pak super model gets bail in currency smuggling case

A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted bail to a super model, who has been in prison since March after being arrested for allegedly trying to fly to Dubai with half a million dollars in cash stashed in her luggage.

Islamabad: A Pakistani court on Tuesday granted bail to a super model, who has been in prison since March after being arrested for allegedly trying to fly to Dubai with half a million dollars in cash stashed in her luggage.

Ayaan Ali was nabbed by customs officials on March 14 from Benazir Bhutto International Airport here when she was trying to board a UAE flight with over USD 500,000 in her possession.

Under Pakistani laws, a passenger with more than USD 10,000 should declare the money to custom authorities.

Lahore High Court today heard the case and granted bail to the accused.

Local media reported that the model's lawyer Latif Khosa told the court that the prosecution had failed to prove the case of currency smuggling and she should be given bail as already she spent four months in jail.

Ayyan got huge media attention during her more than a dozen court appearances.

Several rumours and stories were spun out during the four months period she spent in the Adyala Jail in Rawalpindi. But it was not clearly known whether she owned the money or was trying to smuggle it on the behalf of some "influential politician".

Zulfiqar Mirza, an estranged leader of Pakistan People's Party (PPP), had alleged that the model was linked with party chief and former president Asif Ali Zardari, which was denied by the PPP.

Interestingly, Ayyan's lawyer Latif Khosa is a senior PPP leader and also served as Governor of Punjab when Zardari was President of the country.

There were also reports that the model was part of a group involved in smuggling foreign currency out of the country to launder it as the same money is sent back as remittances, considered as legally earned money.

During the hearing of the case, Ayyan's father was also attacked by unknown gunmen near Rawalpindi.